Well-drilling device



P. w. SMITH AND J. J. BOOKHOUT. WELL DRILLING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 24, I921- 1,370,492. Patented Mar. 1, 1921. I

III, I

' ltrom 'UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PRIMUS W. SMITH, OF JUNCTION CITY, KANSAS, AND JOHN J. BOOKHOUT, 01 DALLAS,

TEXAS. 7' 1 WELL-DRILLING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 24, 1921. Serial No. 439,641.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PRIMUS W. SMITH and JOHN J. BOOKHOUT, citizens of the United States, residing at Junction City and Dallas, in the counties of Gear and Dallas and States of Kansas and exas, respectively, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVell-Drilling Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has to do with new and useful improvements in well drilling devices.

The object of the invention is to provide a practical and efiicient device for simultaneously drilling the main hole and an advance or rat-tail hole; whereby the driller may have at all times advance information as to the formation into which he is extending the main hole, as well as being able to stop drilling at any time with a suitable shoulder or ledge on which ,,to rest the casing.

A further object is to provide a rotating drilling devicewhich will not swing laterally and drill an oversize hole. Another feature resides in an arrangement whereby the device may be used as an underreamer if desired.

In carrying out the invention a tubular to clean the blades orfor cutting off the sup ply thereto.

Alf advantageous feature resides in the means for clamping the blades which includes an adjustable member engaging the,

shanks of the blades for securely holding them in fixed relation to the support and permitting of a ready detaching of the blades from the support, as well as the securing of one or more blades on the support.

A- construction designed to carry out the invention will be hereinafter described together with other features of the invention.

The invention will be more readily under-- stood from a reading of the following specification and by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which an example of the invention is shown and wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a device constructed in accordance with the invention, portions being shown in section,

Fig. 2 is a sectional detail of the clamping portion of the device,

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 4 isa perspective view of one of the blades.

'In the drawings the numeral 10 designates a tubular member or sleeve which may be made of a pipe section. At the upper end of the sleeve 10 a screw threaded socket Patented Mar. 1, 1921.

11 is for connecting the device with a line of a 13 and afi'ording means of engagement for an elevator or fishing tool.

The lower end of the sleeve is flared or beveled inwardly to form an inclined or undercut seat- 14 and the bore of the sleeve immediately above the seat is screw threaded to receive the upper screw threaded end of a tubular member or support 15. The member has an-annular collar 16 preferably integral therewith and provided at its upper edge with a downwardly inclined or undercut annular seat 17. It will be seen that the seats 14 and 17 diverge and form a dove-tail socket therebetween.

Drilling or cutting blades 18 have their upper portions formed integral with shanks 19 having inner arcuate surfaces 20 conforming to the contour of the member 15.

The upper and lower ends of the shanks are beveled to correspond with the inclination of the seats 14 and 17 and to engage therein. The blades are preferably, but not necessarily, attached to the centers of the shanks so as to provide a substantial construction and resist torsional strain. The blades each have a sloping shoulder 21 which prevents catching in the casing when the device is elevated in the well.

The shanks rest on the seat 17 and b rotating the sleeve 10, its sea-t 1.4 is broug t to bear on the upper edges of the shanks,

whereby the latter are clamped in place.-

The sleeve constitutes a clamping element.

and the shanks preferably completely surround the member 15.- By unscrewing the sleeve the blades may be easily removed for sharpening or other purposes.

I The blades depend at the side of the collar 16 and extend below the same. The lower extremities of the blades are reduced to form cutters 22 which are given an'ad- Vance inclination with relation to the rotation of the device, so as to cut more efiiciently. However it is to be understood that the cutters may assume any desired shape, and the invention is not to be limited to any particular shape or inclination. is pointed out that the blades'are substantially equi-distant from the center of the member 15, so as to drill a hole concentric to the device.

A tubular extension or pipesection 23 may either be threaded onto a nipple 24 depending from the member 15 immediately below the collar,'or it may be formed integral with the member. The extension may be of any desired length. Any kind of a well drilling or cutting tool may be -carried at the lower end extension and we have shown a coupling collar 25 screwed onto the lower end of the extension and receiving an ordinary fish-tail drill bit 26.

In 'using the device with a rotary drilling rig water under pressure is supplied to the sleeve 10 and passed down through the bore of the member 15 to the extension 23 by which it is conveyed through the usual ports 26 in the said bit. In some formations it will be necessary to supply water to the cutters 22 to cleanse the same. A plurality of downwardly directed ports 27 extend through the collar 16 from the bore of the member 15 to the lower edge of said collar so as to direct jets of water on the cutters. When it is not desired to use said ports they may be closed by screwing plugs 28 there into, the same to be removed when desired. The device may be constructed without the ports 27.

It is. obvious that a drilling device of this character will bore the well much faster,

thus saving time and labor. The bit 26 or other tool will make the rat-tail or other smaller hole well in advance and will leave clined shoulder or ledge. By means of the advance drill the device is constantly centered and caused to axially rotate, thus swmgmg and enlarging of the hole is prevented.

'VVhen it is desired to use the device as an underreamer, only one blade is employed and this is suitably held in position. A blade is employed which has av radius greater than that of the casing in which the device is to be used. but the width of the collar and single blade combined must be less than the diameter of the, casing. The casing is raised and the device lowered until the blade is below the casing. The advance drilling tool or bit 26 will enter the small hole, thus centering the device and causing the blade to project under the casing and underream as is obvious.

It is to be expresslygunderstood that the invention is not to be limited to the manner of clamping blades as herein illustrated and -vention.

What we claim is: 1. In awell drilling device, a support, a collar carried by the support and having an upper inclined seat, a sleeve threaded upon the. support above the collar and having a seat inclined in a direction opposite to the inclination of the collar seat, an arcuate shank arranged upon the support between the two inclined seats and having its ends correspondingly inclined to enga e and interfit therewith, and a blade carried by the shank.

2. In a well .drilling device, a support having an annular seat, a sleeve threaded upon the support above the seat and havin an annular seat, arcuate shanks assemble upon the support between said seats and formin a rin surrounding the same, correspon ing ends v nular seat having an undercut interfitting engagement, a blade carried by eachshank,

of the shanks and one an-- and an advance drillingextension dependthe support above the seat and having an annular inclined seat, said seats converging .outwardly, a plurality of separate arcuate shanks assembled about the support in the form of a ring and having their upper and lower ends inclined to interfit with said inclinedseats, blades carried by the shanks ports, a tubular extension carried by the lower end of the support, and an advance tool carried by the tubular extension and having aport in communication with the interior of said tubular extension. I

4. In a' well drilling device, a support, a collar carried by the support and having an and arranged near the laterally extending inclined annular seat, a sleeve threaded on I the support and having an annular seat inclined in a direction opposite to the collar seat, arcuate shanks disposed about the sup- 5 port and having oppositely inclined ends engaging the seats of the collar and sleeve, longitudinal blades carried by the shanks,

and an advance drilling extension of less diameter than the blades depending from the support. c

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures.-

PRIMUS W. SMITH. JOHN J. BOOKHOU'I 

